HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1, 2.-Direction8 how to treat members of the Church according to the distin~ tionB of age and ,ea;, I. THE CONDUCT OF TIMOTHY TOW AB.D ELDERLY MEN. "Reprimand not an elderly person, but exhort him as a brother." The allusion is not to an official elder of the Church, but to any el,lerly member of it. 1. Such persons might possibly be guilty of serious shortcomings, warranting private admonition, if not the exercise of discipline. Their conduct would have a worse effect than that of more youthful offenders. 2. Timothy must not use sharpness or severity in dealing with such persons, because he must remember what is becoming ou account of his own youth. He should rather use" entreaty" on a footing of brotherly equality. His zeal ought not to interfere with the reverence due to age. Let the old be tr~ated with humility and gentleness. II. THE CONDUCT OF 'l'lll40THY TOWARD YOUNGER llEN. '"l'he younger men as brothers." He may use greater freedom with them, as being on an equality as to age. He must not show airs of assumption toward them, but may use more freedom in reproving their faults. III. lbs CONDUCT TOWARD ELDERLY WOMEN. "Elderly women as mothers." He must show them due deference aud respect. If they should err on any point, they must be entreated with all tenderness, o.s children entreat their mothen1. IV. Hrs CONUUCT TOWARD THE YOUNGER WOMEN. "The younger as sisters, with all purity." There must be, on the one hand, the freedom of a brother with sisters; but, on the other hand, a marked circumspection so as to avoid all ground of suspicion or acandal.-T. C. Vere. 3-7.-Directions with regard to widows. The gospel provides for the helpleSL I. Tw: OLAIMS OF WIDOWS. 1. These were abundantly recognizad in Old Testamefll THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. roe. v. 1-25.
times. Tbe fatherless and the wi,iow were commended to the special roro of the Israelites. The garments of widow~ were never to he taken in pledge. The nmn was curaed who pen·er1ed the jnd2:mcnt of the widow. The widow was never to b,• aITTictcd or made a prey (Deut. xvi. 11; xxvii. 19; Jer. vii. 6; Isa. x. 2). 2. 7'he claims ()/ widows were officially recognized in New Testriment time,, The order of deaconship aro"e out of the necessity of widows (Acts vi. 1-7). • 11. THE DIFFERE1'T CLASSES OF WIDOWS IN THE CHUBCB, " Honour widows that are widows indeed." There are three classes of widows referred to by the apostle. 1. Thf':f'e are widows who a,·e not only deeply religious, but quite destitute. She who is a widow indeed is" desolate, has set her hope in God, and abides in supplications and prayel'II night and day." (1) There are widows without husband, without children or grandchildren, and without means of living. They have no friends to cheer the loneliness or relieve the necessities of their widowed life. (2) They are deeply reliaious and trust~ul. "She has set her hope in God," who is the Husband of the widow; a'iid is constant 10 prayers like Anna the prophetess, to that God who gives her a daily supply of comforts, and cheers her in her solitude. 2. There are widows who are not ,o destitu.te, for they have children and grandchildren to provide for their wants. 3. There are widows who arc fond of gaiety and pleasure, and destitute of religion. "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." They are dead spiritually, like those who "nave a name to live, hut are dead" (Rev. iii. 1). "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die" (Rom. viii. 13). This class of widows resembled the daughters of Sodom (Ezek. xvi. 49). There was in their case the union of soul and body, but no quickening principle of spiritual life. They savour the things that he of men rather than the things that t. of God. Ill. THE DUTY OF THE CHURCH IN RELATION TO THESE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF WIDOWS. 1. The Church was not bound to support or assist widows with childr5n or grand- chil,dren, who were therefore to he taught" to show piety at home, and to requite their parents." The Church was not to be burdened with their support. Their relatives were not exempt under the gospel from the necessity of providing for them. The apostle adds that the discharge of this oft-forgotten duty is" good and acceptable before God" (Eph. vi. 2, 3; Mark vii. 10, 11). 2. The Church owned no obligation of any sort to pleamre-loving widows, except to warn them of the sin, folly, and danger oft.heir life. 3. The Church was to pay due regard to "widows indeed" who were destitute o/ all resources. "Honour widows that are widows indeed." 'l'he term implies more than deference or respect; such widows were entitled to receive relief from the Christian comm11nity. It was a loving duty to provide for such sad-hearted, friendless beings. IV. THE NECESSITY OF MAKING A BULE FOR THE CHURCH'S GUIDA.NOE. "These things command, that they may be without reproach." The injunction was necessary for the Church's sake, that it might not neglect its proper duty to this destitute class, and for the sake of the various classes of widows and their relatives, who needed to be without reproach, as they were supposedly members of the Chureh.-T. C. Ver. 8.-The duty of providing for one's own household. The growth of the Church necessitated a careful regard to this duty. • I. THE DUTY BEBE ENJOINED. " If any provides not for his owe, and especiall1 for those of his owe house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.' 1. This passage asserts (11£ obligations that spring oot of family relationship. It points to the duty of supporting relatives, and all who live under one roof, who through poverty may have become dependent upon us. 2. The gospel does not rela:r::, but rather strengt}ie,,..,, the ties of natural kir,Ehip. The Essenes would not give relief to their relativel! without the permission of their teachers, though they might help others in need. JL TBE NEGLECT OF THIS DUTY INVOLVES A PBACTICAL DEl!IUL 01' TBE FAITH, }, [t iB a denial of the faith, not in words, but in works, for it is a denial of the duty of love, which is tbe 1,ractical outcome of faith; for" faith worketh by love." '!'here may have heen a teodency at Eph£-sus, as io Churches to which JameR wrote, to rest content with a mere prolesBion of the truth, without the habit of ~elf-denial. 2. Buch conduct would place tl,.e Uhristiun professor in a position far below t/,at of the heathen unbeliever, who recognized the duty of supporting relatives as one of his best principles. It would be a OIL T. 1-26.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 105